Chapter Twenty-Three: The Opening Ceremony

The opening ceremony for the new class of the Mount Shu Immortal Cultivation Academy was held with great grandeur on the academy’s training grounds.

At the front stood a massive ceremonial stage, decorated with vibrant red silk that created a festive atmosphere. A crimson carpet stretched from the stage all the way to the ground. Rows of exotic flowers were arranged in precise patterns before the stage, lending an air of solemnity and elegance. In the center of the stage sat a large, ornate carved wooden chair, flanked by five smaller ones on each side—these were clearly reserved for the grand elders of Mount Shu.

The academy disciples entered the training grounds at the hour of the dragon, taking their seats on the long benches arranged below the stage. The first two rows were reserved for guests, and the disciples’ seating began from the third row.

Mingyue, Nangong Yurou, Dou Ruhua, and Mo Yao sat in the third row. Mingyue looked around with curiosity, marveling at the fact that this was the first time in her life she had been part of such an grand event; she felt a mix of nervousness and wonder.

"Mingyue, I heard the Sect Leader is over six hundred years old. Doesn't that mean he’s just a gray-haired old grandpa?" Nangong Yurou whispered, her expression full of curiosity.

"At breakfast today, I heard someone mention that even the youngest elder is over three hundred," Mo Yao added quietly.

Mingyue asked curiously, "If we cultivate, will we reach five or six hundred years old too? Wouldn't we turn into shriveled old hags?"

Han Ruge, sitting nearby, chimed in, "Beauties, don't worry. If your cultivation is high enough, you can maintain your youthful appearance."

Dou Ruhua asked happily, "Really? Does that mean we'll all become ageless enchantresses?"

"Hahaha!" The four of them couldn't help but giggle; the thought seemed quite amusing.

"Can people who cultivate get married?" Dou Ruhua suddenly asked nervously. "I was so focused on the entrance exam that I completely forgot about that."

Everyone paused, then burst into soft laughter.

Just then, a young man sitting in the row behind them interjected, "Of course they can! Cultivators are people too, and as long as they are human, they have passions and desires. Otherwise, wouldn't the long, solitary road of cultivation be too lonely? Of course, that doesn't exclude those who have seen through the secular world and insist on pure, ascetic practice."

The group turned to look—it was Feng Linchuan.

Seeing Mingyue and the others looking back at him, the young man flashed a grin of pearly white teeth. "Greetings, beauties! I am Feng Linchuan. A pleasure, truly a pleasure."

At that moment, the master of ceremonies on stage began to speak: "Disciples of the Immortal Cultivation Academy, the opening ceremony is about to begin. Let us welcome Sect Leader Feng of the Mount Shu Immortal Sect, the ten grand elders, and our distinguished guests with the warmest of applause!"

Amidst thunderous applause, many people emerged from the wings behind the stage. Some headed toward the stage, while others moved to the guest seats in the front three rows.

The MC loudly introduced the visiting guests. The Fengluan Empire of the East, the Peacock Empire of the South, the Loulan Empire of the West, and the Turkic Empire of the North had all sent royal representatives to attend the ceremony. The four great families of the Divine Land—the Mei, Mo, Meng, and Murong families—had also sent their elders. It was clear how much the various powers of the Divine Land valued the Mount Shu Immortal Sect.

After the guests were seated, a group of people walked toward the stage.

The leader was a tall, imposing figure dressed in an elegant, dark-patterned white robe. His long silver hair was tied back and secured with a delicate white jade crown. He looked to be only thirty or forty years old, with a face as refined as jade and an incredibly ethereal presence. His deep, dark eyes seemed to contain the vicissitudes of the world, having seen through the cycle of reincarnation and weathered the baptism of ancient ages; they were as calm and unfathomable as a deep, ancient spring. His movements were light and graceful, radiating a celestial aura untouched by the mortal world, accompanied by a faint sense of noble detachment. Even just standing there, he made one feel an urge to bow and worship, as if gazing up at the bright moon in the sky. This was the man revered by the world as the High God, Sect Leader Feng Xiaoyao.

Mingyue couldn't help but sigh to herself—so this was what a legendary immortal looked like. He looked nothing like a six-hundred-year-old deity.

The MC introduced him respectfully: "This is our Mount Shu Immortal Sect Leader, Feng Xiaoyao."

Following him were the elders of the ten great elder halls of Mount Shu.

The disciples were enlightened as the MC introduced them one by one.

The First Elder, Elder Qin, had jet-black hair and appeared to be a handsome man in his forties. He was said to be a master of the zither, capable of opposing thousands of soldiers with a single melody. He was the master of Hua Qiandu.

The Second Elder, Elder Qi, was said to be a master of chess, capable of using the game to set arrays that could trap enemies within. The Third Elder, Elder Han, was said to be well-read and had created his own "Heavenly Scripture" that could kill without a trace. He was the father of Han Ruge.

The Fourth Elder, Elder Hua, excelled in painting, and his works were renowned throughout the world.

The Fifth Elder, Elder Jian, was said to be an "Immortal of the Sword." His swordsmanship was incredibly refined, and the sword techniques learned by the disciples were taught by his hall.

The Sixth Elder, Elder Yao (Jiang Yiyue), was a pharmacy fanatic who excelled in cultivating rare and precious medicinal herbs. This was the examiner who had overseen the third stage of Mingyue’s entrance test.

The Seventh Elder, Elder Mu, was skilled in mechanisms, puzzles, and Bagua secret passages. It was said that no one who entered his designed passages had ever come out again.

The Eighth Elder, Elder Mo, specialized in ink-craft. Her weapon was a calligraphy brush, and the characters she wrote, once imbued with spiritual power, could strip a person of their seven souls. Mingyue observed that she was a beautiful, cold-faced woman who looked to be about thirty, possessing an elegant and detached temperament that kept others at a distance.

The Ninth Elder, Elder Xing (Jiang Lingshan), was in charge of the laws and discipline of the Mount Shu Immortal Sect. He was a very strict and upright man, and also one of the examiners during Mingyue’s test.

The Tenth Elder was only identified as the head of the Pill Hall, but no one was seen. The former elder of the Pill Hall had passed away a century ago, and the position was currently vacant.

After introducing the Sect Leader and the ten elders, the MC proceeded to introduce the outstanding new generation of inner sect disciples.

Over a dozen inner sect disciples walked out—four women and about ten men.

Leading them was Feng Qingcheng. He stood out like a crane among chickens, dressed in white as pure as snow, with ink-black hair and exquisite features. His narrow, phoenix-like eyes were as deep as the stars. He stood there casually, yet he possessed an unparalleled elegance that made everything else seem like a mere backdrop. Mingyue couldn't help but marvel at the existence of such a handsome man. Following him were senior brothers and sisters like Qiao Chuyai, Hua Qiandu, Mei Ren, and Murong Yiwen.

Nangong Yurou whispered to Mingyue, her face flushed with excitement, "I saw Senior Brother Chuyai—he's so handsome!"

The disciples below erupted in thunderous applause. Some even stood up and waved their hands, shouting the names of Feng Qingcheng and the others. Everyone seemed stirred by the sight of the senior disciples they looked up to.

The MC watched the enthusiastic response with satisfaction. Once the chatter died down, he raised his hand to signal for silence. He continued to read the list of gifts presented by the various empires and the four great families.

Mingyue noticed the MC reading the list from the Fengluan Empire: one hundred Grade-5 Divine Essence Pills, five hundred Grade-5 Return-to-Origin Pills, eight hundred Grade-4 Divine Pills, one hundred night-luminescent pearls, one hundred thousand taels of gold, a set of gold-threaded jade silk robes, one hundred bolts of high-quality water-ripple silk...

The MC read for a long time without finishing. Mingyue couldn't even understand what many of the items were, but she thought to herself that the Fengluan Empire was truly generous to send so many treasures.

"Yurou, why is the Fengluan Empire sending so many things? I've never even heard of many of them," Mingyue asked quietly.

Nangong Yurou leaned in and whispered, "Don't you know? Sect Leader Feng originally came from the Fengluan royal family; he is the ancestor of the current royal line. His chief inner sect disciple, Feng Qingcheng, is also a member of the Fengluan royal family." Mingyue’s jaw dropped, her face blank. "No wonder..."

Mo Yao added softly, "It is said that Feng Qingcheng will be the next elder of the Pill Hall and is being groomed as the successor to the Sect Leader. By building a strong relationship with the Mount Shu Immortal Sect, the Fengluan Empire will earn back their investment with just a single Grade-7 Immortal Pill."

Mingyue looked confused and asked naively, "Are Grade-7 Immortal Pills high-level and very powerful?"

Han Ruge explained from behind them, "Currently, the highest grade of immortal pill in existence is Grade-6. With the aid of a Grade-6 pill, a cultivator can extend their lifespan by several hundred years; an ordinary person who eats one can live for two hundred years. Legend has it that if an ordinary person eats a Grade-7 Immortal Pill, their lifespan will extend to five hundred years. If a cultivator eats one, not only can they return to their youth and break through their cultivation bottleneck, their lifespan will reach nearly a thousand years. Senior Brother Feng's alchemy reached Grade-5 last year. If he can break through to Grade-6 this year, he will be appointed as the elder of the Pill Hall. Although Grade-7 is difficult to achieve, given Senior Brother's extraordinary talent, I think it's only a matter of time."

"Isn't Senior Brother Feng a disciple of Sect Leader Feng? How can he also become an elder of the Pill Hall?" Mingyue asked after a moment of thought. Cultivation sects placed great importance on lineage; generally, once you joined a master, you couldn't easily change.

"Inner sect disciples of Mount Shu are an exception. As long as an inner sect disciple is outstanding enough, they can establish their own lineage within the sect and form a separate elder hall," Han Ruge explained patiently. "Besides, the Pill Hall has already existed for a long time; it just lacked an elder."

Mingyue noticed the MC on stage introducing other immortal sects that had come to offer their congratulations.

Mount Shu was undeniably the greatest immortal sect of the current age. Even sects with less-than-stellar reputations, such as the Ximing Immortal Sect and the Jade Maiden Sect, had sent representatives and gifts to the once-a-decade recruitment ceremony.

Following the MC’s gestures, Mingyue spotted an acquaintance in the guest seats. The person was sitting to the left, two rows in front of her. Though seated, he was exceptionally tall and eye-catching. He was dressed in a dark red, embroidered robe, his hair as black as ink, his skin snow-white at the nape of his neck, and his side profile as beautifully carved as a sculpture.

The young man seemed to sense her gaze and suddenly turned his head. He revealed a delicate, seductive, and handsome face. His watery peach-blossom eyes seemed capable of capturing souls, and his pink, sensual lips curved into a faint, wicked smile. He mouthed the words, "Darling!"

He winked playfully at the stunned Mingyue, his eyes brimming with charm. Mingyue felt a surge of annoyance and looked away, pretending she hadn't seen anything. The man chuckled softly and turned back.

"Did you see that beautiful man in the guest seats who looks like a spirit?" Nangong Yurou exclaimed, her voice trembling. "Is... is he a human or a demon?"

Dou Ruhua stared blankly in that direction and muttered, "I can guarantee that beautiful man is human, not a demon. I saw him at a tavern last time; he's Shui Yanxi, the young master of the Ximing Immortal Sect. He was looking for his 'darling' back then."

Dou Ruhua did not know that the "darling" Shui Yanxi was looking for was actually Mingyue, as she had been disguised as a little beggar at the time.

Mingyue’s heart pounded with fear, and she cautiously shrank back, terrified that Shui Yanxi would look over again. However, she then thought to herself: she was no longer a helpless orphan; she was now a disciple of the Mount Shu Immortal Cultivation Academy. Surely he wouldn't dare do anything to her here? With this thought, Mingyue straightened up, feeling more at ease.

It was fortunate that this demon was only here for the ceremony; otherwise, if she had to see him every day, she didn't know what she might do to him. Mingyue heard gasps and exclamations of admiration from behind her; many people had noticed the bewitching, spirit-like youth and were whispering about him.

By this time, the MC on stage had begun to introduce the deans of the new disciples and the instructors for each subject.

The Mount Shu Academy had four deans: Elder Xia Feihong of the Sword Hall, Elder Jiang Yiyue of the Medicine Hall, Feng Qingcheng (the disciple of Sect Leader Feng), and Elder Jiang Lingshan of the Punishment Hall.

The vice deans were Hua Qiandu, Qiao Chuyai, Mei Ren, and Murong Yiwen. The deans and vice deans changed every term—a tradition of the Mount Shu Immortal Cultivation Academy designed to give outstanding inner sect disciples various opportunities for training.

In addition to the six assistant deans, there were countless supervisors responsible for teaching various aspects such as medicine, alchemy, calligraphy, and painting.

Mount Shu cultivation involved not only basic knowledge like sword techniques, mental cultivation, and martial arts, but also auxiliary studies in areas such as medicine, mechanisms, formations, alchemy, literature, art, and music.

It appeared that the Mount Shu Immortal Cultivation Academy was not solely focused on cultivation; it also incorporated education in various fields. After all, those who could comprehend the Dao and choose the arduous path of cultivation were the minority. The majority of disciples, after completing their five-year term at the academy, would pursue various fields based on their interests and strengths.

The opening ceremony for the new class of the Mount Shu Immortal Cultivation Academy came to a successful conclusion. Mingyue and the other disciples followed the crowd out of the hall. Tomorrow, all the disciples would begin their busy and fulfilling lives of cultivation.